A Pella man accused of neglect and abuse has pled not guilty to charges related to an incident reported in October.

Jeremy Brumley, 27, is charged with neglect of a dependent person, a class C felony, and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. A police report filed on October 19th details a conflict between Brumley and one of his relatives, in which Jeremy is accused of pulling a knife and making what police describe as aggressive comments, based on witness statements.

When questioning other family members involved, officers learned Jeremy was with a minor girl who he was holding face down on a bed to calm her down and Brumley’s relatives noticed odd sounds coming from the room where the child and Jeremy were located. Those witnesses say a person in the house tried to confront Jeremy about his treatment of the child, which prompted him to pull the knife and make threats aim at the accuser.

Officers also noticed a scratch on the minor victim’s face that the child’s mother said wasn’t there previously. The next court hearing is scheduled on November 18th.